After a full day of sun here in the Twin Cities I thought what better time to talk about sunscreens than now; after all, it is June! Despite the cloudy weather we’ve been experiencing up here in the north land the use of sunscreen should go hand in hand with any kind of exposure that lasts 20 minutes or more. So, unless you’re sitting in your house for the entire day, screen it up. According to the American Melanoma Foundation (AMF) 80% of the sun’s UV rays pass through the cloud cover. That being said…wear sunscreen.

There are two kinds of ways to protect your skin: sunscreen and sunblock. While reading through the AMF, I learned that the difference between them is that sunscreen is a provides a chemical barrier on your skin and sunblock is a physical barrier. Sunscreen is less visible, cleans up neatly and acts like a filter and reduces the radiation of ultraviolet rays. Sunblock is messy, very visible and actually cannot compete with a sunscreen of SPF 30; sunblock is typically used on individuals whose skin is particularly sensitive to UV rays. (More information can be found here.)

I know, I know; the word chemical is a complete turn-off for me. Is it for you? I think that once you’re in the cloth diaper world you are more aware of what comes in contact with your skin and your child’s skin. With conflicting reports and so many different stories it’s so hard to even know where to go for information. I use Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) website. I trust their information for many reasons but mainly it’s because of their involvement with a “large baby skin care company”. They recently became “the little engine that could” and brought to the light some of the potentially harmful ingredients of “said large baby skin care company” products. The company is now reformulating their ingredients.

EWG has a really easy to navigate sunscreen informational guide on their website. It’s chock full of articles and helpful consumer guides. Be sure to use their Best Sunscreens consumer guide. EWG takes the ingredients that are used in any product and then analyzes them based on recent studies and findings. From there they use a grading system that involves numbers and traffic light corresponding colors. Green means safe, yellow is okay and red means that the product is not safe or that the company did not give the entire list of ingredients for them to analyze.

Sure the best approach to avoiding sun damage on your skin is to avoid exposing yourself to the sun, however, the natural vitamin D that’s in the sun is essential to your health. So rather than becoming a hermit, use EWG’s guide, try to cover your skin and your baby’s with sunblock clothing and get out and soak up some rays!

Do you look at ingredient lists or consumer guides when choosing a sunscreen?

Elizabeth "Bert" Anderson is a stay-at-home mom of two living outside of the Twin Cities and the writer behind the blog, First Time Mom. She's a lover of cloth diapers, pop culture, health and fitness, and the blessings that comes with being a mother.

That’s how we found thinkbaby/thinksport sunscreen last year and it’s been great for our whole family. Great ingredient list, very effective sun protection, and even stays on when my husband goes running for an hour.

Comment by Melissa C. on June 3, 2013 at 3:04 pm

we like episencial sunscreen… i just wish that we could find a natural sunscreen that sprays on. it’s hard to get a toddler to hold still!

Comment by christine k. on June 3, 2013 at 9:24 pm

Great post – this answered a lot of questions about sunscreen. I didn’t know there was a difference between sunscreen and sunblock.

Comment by Carrie C on June 3, 2013 at 9:58 pm

i appreciate this so much – hate putting anything on baby that i don’t know enough about!

Comment by Jen P on June 5, 2013 at 8:22 am

Great post. We just discussed this in my due date group. I also look at the EWG list before I buy. I like California Baby and Badger. I prefer Badger for its ingredients, but it was harder to find one without Cocoa Butter.

Comment by Angela Tozier on June 5, 2013 at 1:45 pm

Great reference & info; I had already gotten a tube of Episencial, but I’m glad to have a resource to find safe yet cheaper alternatives

Comment by Gabrielle on June 5, 2013 at 4:34 pm

Understanding what you put on your skin and your baby’s skin s so important. It’s amazing how much nasty stuff is in most popular sunscreens. We stick to uv protectant clothing and hats, and use zinc oxide based sunscreens sparingly when needed.

Comment by Leela R. on June 14, 2013 at 6:53 pm

Thank you for sharing this great information. I am always try to find safe products, but sometimes it is hard to know who to trust. Great for summertime

Comment by Beth Rees on June 14, 2013 at 9:04 pm

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